Shrapnel.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903. B. W. DUNN.

SHRAPNEL'.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1902.

No MODEL.

. e 1 i il geen N 4 ,V

Patented August 4, 1903.l

UNH-lian STATES PATENT @Finca No. 735,658. 'i

lBnvnRLv W. DUNN, or PHILADgLrHIA, PNNsYLvANIA.

sHRAeNEl...

SPECIFICATION ,formingipart of Letters Patent No.A 735,658, dated August 4, l1903. f

' Applicata mea my 12, igea4 serial No, 115,276. 'ma model.)

T a/ZZ whowfz, t may concern: i

Be itknown that I, BEVERLY W. DUNN, .of the United States Army, a citizen f the United States, residingat Philadelphia, inthe county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented a certain new and'useful Improvement in Shrapnel, of which the follow- .ing is a full, clear, and exact description. At present it is the preferred practiceto' lo `construct a shrapne'lrlingsuch way that the case withits containedrnissiles and a bursting charge' of powder in rear of the missiles will remain intact until the desired point of attack is reached,- at which time the missiles will be discharged without ruptureoftle case and with practically the full eective force of the contained powder charge. Another consideration of importance is to make the nu tn ber of elctive missiles as large as possible, zo .Whichrequires that the case and other parts Athe shrapnel. be as light as possible. A wie object of this invention is to meet the conditions above mentioned and others; and to this'end the invention consists of a' shrap- 2 5 `nel having a case of substantially uniform cross-section throughout` and containing a powder charge supplied by compressing the powder within the case, said charge having an opening which is provided with loose powder 3o which is accessible by the fuse for igniting the compressed charge. In this construction instead of separating the powder from the missiles by a heavy diaphragm of metal supported on a shoulder forgedor machined on the interior-'of the case, which shoulder increases unnecessarily the weight of the case, such as has heretofore been used, I am able to use a comparativelythinnd lightfdiaphragm, and the missiles-may be supeliosed upon this 4o diaphragm, Lwith the compressed powder as a y base, without danger from inertia of the balls or missiles at the momentofA the shock o f dis'- charge, all as I will proceed-now more partie#- ularly to set forth and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating myinvention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is alongitudinal section illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a 5o transverse section taken substantially in the plane of the li'ne A B, Fig. l.

The case 1 in the preferred constructionjs of drawn steel of substantially uniform crosssection and having a polyhedral chamber. 'lhiscase has a relatively thicker base 2 and .tion 3 to receive adisk 4,- preferably of sheetsteel, and the head 5 of suitable construction and containing the time fuse.

Thepowder charge 6 is formed in the base of the shell by about fifty per cent. greater than that due to the setback of the balls or missiles from the shock of the discharge of the propelling powder charge. This compressed powdercharge 6 is made with a central aperture, which is provided with an igniting charge 7 of loose powder. Above the charge of compressed powder and charge of loose powder is laid a equivalent material to keep the loose powder in place and protect iti-'rom moisture, and above this is arranged a comparatively thin diaphragm 9, of steel. within'which is placed the diaphragm-plug l0, upon which is erected a central tube 1l, which may be made of paper, extending up through the diaphragm 4 and into the head, so as to form a communicatingrchannel from the fuse to the powder charge in the base of the case. The balls or missiles l2 are Stacked or piled one upon another in regular order or series around the tube 1l and rest upon the diaphragm 9 and covered in by the diaphragm 4 underrestraint of the head 5. Y i The case is provided with-any usual or approved form of band 13. The interior of the case is made polyhedral and preferably hexagonal in order to receive and contain the largest possible number of balls -or missiles and to cause them to rotate with the case when l'ired from the gun.

In former constructions where a loose powder charge is used the diaphragm supporting the balls above the powder has to be very heavy in order to resist the inertia of the balls at the moment of the shock of discharge, and even then the diaphragms are badly distorted. By compressing the powder charge, as herein stated, not only is it possible to use a greater powder charge in a given volume, but the compressed charge is4 in eect an auxiliarydizv phragln to the metal diaphragm, serving to rean upper screw-threaded and shouldered Vporintroducing loose powder alrd compressing the same under a total pressure sheet or disk,8 of tin-foil or othersimilar or IOO sist the crushin effect of the balls or missilesat the moment of discharge, and also so support the balls as to prevent the distortion of the diaphragm. Again, the compressed p'owder burns more slowly than loose powder, and therefore the pressure is maintained during the passage ot' the diaphragm throughoutthe ment of ignition to rupture the case.

whole length of the case, acting in this respect more like smokeless powder in the modern gun, with a corresponding diminution of'the tendency of the interior pressure at the mo- A s alreadyintimated, it is not desired that the case should be ruptured, but shouldaet as a port` able shotgun-barrel, the balls being projected to the frontwith an increasedvelocity at thev point of bursting.

-(')ther advantages of the construction are" that the ease, having wallsof uniform section throughout, cheaply and a very much lighter case and diaphragm'maybe employed, and thus a projectile of relatively the same weight may be constructed in which a larger number of missiles may be employed, resulting in a' corresponding increase inthe efficiency of the projectile as a shrapnel.

l 0f course it 1s possible to use the com' pressed powder charge in. a case having the walls 0E its powder-chamber oi' greater thickness than the' remaining walls with or without change of thickness in the diaphragm.

In my Patent No. 631,703, (lated August 22, i

180i), I have shown a polygonal or prismatic case and pointed out its advantages, and in my Patent No. (331,702, o f the same date, I have shown iacketed balls or missiles, such as those herein shown and which I preferably use, and have pointed out the advantages of such construction, it being understood that the center or core of the missile is of lead or other suitable metal and'incased in a steel may be manufactured morel jacket; but of course I do not limit the piesent vinvention to the hexagonal form of case or to the use of jacketed missiles.

The advantages of using .t compressed linstead of a loose powder charge would apply With equal force to that form of shrapnel which comprises a case with circular erosssection and lead balls unprotected by steel jackets.

VVhatI claim isv l. A shrapnel, having a case and the powder charge compressed in the base thereo.

2. A shrapnel, having a casewhose interior` cross-section is uniform throughout, and a powder charge compressed in the basethereof. 3. -A shrapnel, having a case, a powder charge compressed in theA base thereof, and a central aperture in said compressed powder charge containing a loose ignition charge;

'4. A shrapnel, .having a case, a powder charge compressed in the base thereof, a loose covered by awaterproof disk and arelatively thin diaphragm, and superposed missiles supported by the diaphragrns and compressed powder charge.v

` F55. A shrapnel, having a case with a polyjhedral interior, a powder charge compressed in the base thereof, a snperposed diaphragm, and series of missiles stacked symmetrically Within said case upon the diaphragm and compressed powder charge as their support.

6. A shrapnel, having a case provided with a slow-burnin g powder charge formed by compressing .the powder wit-hin the base of said case.

` In testimonywhereof l have hereunto set my hand this 7th dayof July, A. D. 1902.

ZEVILRLY W. DUNN.-

Witnesses: THOMAS J. Warne, J. J. OREILLY.

` ignition charge within the compressed charge 

